Swaging machine



Dec. 1, 1964 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL 3,159,197

SWAGING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1961 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 0 GD W 1 R 3 O 0 x {a Q Q o 0 0 x James D. Anderson 0g Erna-5f LC/re/v INVENTORS I Q Q Dec. 1, 1964 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

SWAGING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 20 1961 [rnejf L (Vie/1 INVENTORS HTTOK YEY Dec. 1, 1964 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL SWAGING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 20. 1961 James 5 Anoerjo/i [mesf L (776% INVENTORS BY I KITTOfNf) 1964 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

SWAGING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 20, 1961 James D Anderson 5272651 Z. Che/7 1964 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

SWAGING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 20, 1961 James Dflnderfon INVENTORS A TTOIPNEY De 1, 196 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

SWAGING MACHINE Fild March 20, 1961 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 James 2 Arm even frflesz Z. (fie/2 INVENTORS I ATTO/f/VEY FIG.9

Dec. 1, 1964 J. D. ANDERSON ETAL SWAGING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed March 20. 1961 Jan 7765B Anr/emon [mefl Z (Ire/7 INVENTOR) ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,159,197 SWAGING MACHINE James D. Anderson and Ernest L. Cheh, Norwalk, Conm, assignors to Burndy Corporation, Norwallr, Conn, a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 97,053 4 Claims. (Cl. 153-41) This invention relates to swaging, crimping or indenting machines, and more particularly to an automatic machine for indenting electrical'contacts to conductors.

This indenting, by squeezing together the contact and the conductor provides a uniform mechanical and electrical connection therebetween.

In small and miniature contacts, it is desirable that the indentations be symmetrically spaced around the periphery of the contact, so that all the elements of the contact and inserted conductor will be maintained in a coaxial relationship. It is currently customary to provide four, equally angularly spaced and depthed, indentations in a common transverse plane through the contact. This is customarily accomplished by four indentors radially mounted through a transverse plane of a circular carrier which has a central axial hole to receive the contact. The carrier is rotatable within an annular ring having an inner camming surface for each indentor, which indentors are spring loaded to extend without the carrier and abut the camming surfaces. Relative rotation between the carrier and cam ring forces the indentors to ride down the camming surfaces towards the center of the carrier to indent the contact.

, Since the carrier has customarily had an integral periphery, albeit perforated for the indentors, each contact had to be individually, axially inserted into the carrier for indenting. Although split carriers mounted between linearly reciprocating cams have also been used, these carriers also required the contact to be axially inserted. It will be appreciated that it was diflicult to provide a rapid feed of contacts to the indenting position in the carrier, when each contact had to be individually and axially inserted.

Of course it has been well known to provide belt carried or interlinked contacts between a pair of linearly reciprocating dies which impress a pair of opposed indents in each contact. However, this does not provide the desirable four symmetric and independent indentations. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a novel indentor assembly which permits belt carried contacts to be transversely carried to the indenting position between more than two symmetrically arranged indentors.

Another object of this invention is to provide an indentor assembly which permits very accurate adjustment of the depth of the indent made by each indentor.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an indentor assembly which permits the accurate timing of related machine functions, such as' contact feeding and contact detachment from its supporting belt.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel contact supporting belt feed machanism.

Even another object is to provide a novel mechanism to separate the contact from its supporting belt.

A feature of this invention is a central rotatable plate carrying a plurality of peripheral cams to individually operate individual linkages which in turn operate the several indentors, feeding and separator mechanisms.

Another feature of this invention is a plurality of centrifugally directed indentor driving means interconnected by means of a plurality of force direction reversing means to a plurality of centripetally directed indentors.

Another feature of this invention is a feeding mecha- 3,159,197: Patented Dec. 1, 1964 "ice nism having a feed finger traveling a closed rectilinear path.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the indentor assembly.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the indentor assembly with the top plate removed and other portions broken away in part;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the indentor assembly with the upper plates removed to show the rotating cam plate;

FIG. 4 is a medial sectional view of the indentor assembly;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the indentor assembly with the upper plates removed to show the feed assembly;

FIG. 6 is a detail front view of FIG. 5 showing the feed fingers projecting through the contact carry belt;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the assembly showing the contact separator assembly;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the assembly showing the feed assembly follower linkage;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the contact carry belt;

FIG. 10 is a view in section through the belt of FIG. 9 along lines 10-10.

FIG. 11 is a view in section through the belt of FIG. 9 along lines 11-11.

FIG. 12 indicates the rectangular movement of the feed finger;

FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D shows the relative dispositions of the feed assembly to provide the rectangular movement of the feed finger;

FIG. v1.3 is a top view of the feed assembly;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the feed assembly;

FIG. 15 is cut away perspective of the feed assembly showing the slides which provide the rectangular movement of the feed finger; and

FIG. 15A is a detail of FIG. 15.

The Indentor Assembly As may be seen in FIGS. 1 through 4, the indentor assembly consists of a base plate 10 which has pivoted thereto, by means of a headed shaft 12, nut 14 and thrust bearing 16, a main cam plate 18 which rides on a tapered thrust bearing 20. The main cam plate may have an upper cam plate 22 secured thereto in spaced apart relationship. Secured to the main cam plate 18 and the upper cam plate 22 are four identical spherical bearings 24 which act as cams for four identical indentor rocker arms 26. The outer ring 23 of each spherical bearing is free to rotate and to tilt on its inner, spherically shaped inner ring 30. Each indentor rocker arm has a central pivot 32, a lower, cam following end 34 and an upper, indentor operating end 36. Each rocker arm pivot 32 is secured to a yoke 38 formed in the base 10, and has a bore 40 containing a compression spring 42 which abuts the base 10 to bias the lower rocker end inwardly. Secured to the base 10 at each yoke 38, is an upper indentor guide plate, which is divided into two spaced apart halves 46, 48. Four indentor assembly channels 50 are formed into the guide plate 44. Each guide channel includes a rocker hole 52 through which the upper end 36 of the rocker arm projects; a pair of indentor carrier guide bearing surfaces 54 and an indentor channel 56. An indentor carrier 58 is disposed on surfaces 54 for reciprocating movement thereon. A hole 60 is provided in each indentor carrier 58 into which the upper end 36 of the rocker arm also projects. An inner and outer pressure pad 62, 64, respectively, are provided to interconnect the rocker 26 to the indentor carrier 58. The mutual faces of the rocker and pressure pads are made r a spherical so as to provide an area contact therebetween, rather than a line contact, and a set screw 66 is provided to positively secure the rocker and pads together. Al-

, ternatively, a rod 68, spring 70 and set screw 72 may be usedto. ensure theavoidance of binding. The length of. hole 60 is made somewhat longer than the combined length of the rocker arm.end..36.-a'nd thepads s2, 64.so

' that a shim (not shown) may beplaced, if necessary, be-

tween the carrier. and either theinner or outer pad to accurately locate the carrier with :respect,to the rocker.

arm. (and thereby the associatedindentor). Four stop plates .74, whichMmay be shimmed, are. secured .to the guide plate, one adjacent each carrier, and. cooperate with a shoulder 76 on each carrier to limit the centripetal movement of.,the carrier; Disposed in each indentor channelis; astackedpair of indentors which are tenoned to thecarrier. An independent wire indentor 78 and an insulation indentor 80 are shown here; although if desired, a single indent'or. might beused. A top cover plate 82;;is. secured to the guide plateSii to protect the indentor assembly.

A gear .sector 841s secured to the maincam plate 13. Meshing with the gear sectoris reciprocating, power driven, operator controlled, crank arm fidterminating in a gear. sector 88, which. arm. is pivoted at. 9910 base plate 10.

It will thus beseen that oscillation of. the crank arm 36 oscillates main cam plate 18, which moves the cam bearings 24 against and away from the lower, follower ends 34 of the. rocker arms, 26,1,which oscillates the rocker arms, which reciprocates the indentor carriers 58 and the indentors 78,811.;

. The Contact Support Belt Contacts 91 are delivered to the. crimping position, which is central to all the indentors, by means of a contact support belt 92. As may be seenin FIGS; 1, 2, 5, 9, 10 and 11, this belt comprises a base strip 94 having a plurality of contact receiving depressions 96, each supporting a contactso'that the central axis of the contact is coplanar with the upper surface 98 of the base strip. A tie strip 100 is disposed over each contact and is secured, as by spot welding, between each contact, to hold each contact in its depression; A-sprocket hole 102 is provided'between each contact to receive the end of a feed finger 1114 :whereby the support belt 92 is advanced through the'machine. Thesupport belt is guided to the machine by means of a belt guide 106, which may be of channel shape and made of sheet-metal. The support beltmay be stored inlong lengths on a reel (not shown) and fed to the machine through the belt guide.

The belt 92 passes .over thecrank arm 86 and through the space 108 between the two halves 46, 48, ,of the upper indentor guide plate. The belt is indexed or fed transversely through the machine so that one contact at a time is. presentedcentrally between the indentors, as shown in FIG. '2. The contact is crimped to a wire which is The Feed Finger Assembly As may be seen in FIGS. 12, 12A,. 12B, 12C, and '12D and FIGS. and6, it is necessary that. the feed finger 164 travel through, arectangular path; In FIG. 12A the finger is shown in the indentor position with respect to the contact belt. The finger must then be withdrawn from the sprocket hole, as shown in FIG. l2B.- The finger then moves to the nextsprocket hole as shown FIG. 12C

4 and engages the hole as shown in FIG. 12D and FIG. 5. The finger then returns to the position of FIG. 12A, advancing the belt and carrying a new contact to the cen tral indentor position.

As may be seen in FIGS. 5, 8, 13, 14 and 15, the feed finger 104 is part of the feed assemblylild. The main cam plate carries a cam 113. The cam is radially aligned by means of a spline 121) which fits in keyways cut into the cam and the main cam plate, and is secured by cap screws 122. A rocker arm 124 is pivoted at 126 to the base plate 14 The arm 124 is freely pinned to a slot 123 in a link 13!) which is in turn pivoted, by anopen slot 132 and pin 134,. to a feed assembly inner slide 136. The inner slide 136 is'carriedby an outer slide 138, which is carried by the feed assembly base 140. V A tension spring. 142 is secured. between therocker arm -124 and the feed assemblybasel tfi, While a tensionspring 144 is secured between the inner slide 136 andthelink 130., The rocker arm .124 also carries a spherical bearing cam follower 146 which can be abutted bycarn 118.

As may be best seenin concept in FIG. 15, the outer slide 138 is substantially of channel or U cross-section. The inner slide is free to slide within limits within the outer. slide138. The inner-slide has a projection 143,150, at each end to delimit the extent of its travel within the outer slide 138... An upper-portion of the outer slide 138 is cut out at 152 to expose the inner slide. The feed finger 1114 is disposed in this cutout 152, and is free to cross-slide through the outer channel 133.= A diagonal slot 154 is cut into the inner slide. The feed finger 164 has a pin 156 fixed thereto which extends into the slot. Thus, when the inner slide is reciprocated, the slot and pin will cause the feed finger to reciprocate cross-wise.

A detent 158 is biased by a spring 160 to abut-both the inner and outer slides. As may be best seen in FIG. 15A, two portions of the nose 162 of the detent are cut away to form a key 164.v

A pair of slots 166, 168 are cut into the outer slide 138. A pair of slots 170, 172 are-cut into the inner slide 136 to provide shoulders 174, 176. It will be seen that detent key 164is adapted to engage either one or the other of slots 166,.168of the outer slide 138 until either of the shoulders 174,176 of the inner slide strikes the detent nose 1'62, extracting the detent key 164 from the outer slide slot. 'Th'erdetent 1581s mountedin a slot 178 out into a rod 180 which is slideable in a bore 182 in the follower assembly base 149, The rod 181) has a keyway 184 milled therein, into which a set screw 186 through the base extends to prevent rotation, while allowing sliding. A second set screw 188 passes through the base to clamp rod 180 in place. A traversing screw 190-is mounted to the base and secured to an end of the rod 184? to accurately slide the rod. By this means, the detent 158 may be accurately located with respect to the inner and outer slide assembly.

The feed finger assembly provides the rectangular movement of the feed finger which is indicated in FIG. 12.

The disposition of the feed finger assembly-in the at rest, or before operating cycle, position is shown in FIG. 12A. Feed finger 104 is, in its (forward) extended position. At A time, the main cam plate 18 has cam 118 in full exeursionwith the rocker arm 124 fully deflected. When the cam plate begins to rotate, the cam begins its incursion, permitting the tension spring 142 to pull the rocker arm inwardly (counter-clock-wise) to traverse the slot 128 in link 1315 and to then push (to the left) the link 128 and thereby the inner slide 136., The outer slide is held fast by detent key'lfi iextending into the outer slide slot .168; As the inner slide moveslettward, the diagonal slot 154 therein cams pin 156 cross-wise- (rearwardly), thereby moving the feed finger 1% (rearward ly) to its retracted position; also the inner slide shoulder, 176 abuts the detent. nose 162 and cams thedetent away from the slide assembly, and thereby extracts the detent key 164 from the outer slide slot 168. The assembly is now in the disposition shown in FIG. 12B. The cam 118 continues its incursion, leaving the rocker arm 124, and permitting the tension spring 142 to pull the rocker arm further inwardly (counter-clock-wise). The link continues to move the inner slide leftward, and the inner slide, with its projection 148 abutting the end 192 of the outer slide, moves the outer slide and the feed finger leftward to the FIG. 12C disposition. The detent key 164 snaps into outer slide slot 166, stopping any further leftward movement of the slide assembly. At C time the crank arm 86 reverses its oscillation, and the wise) to traverse the slot 128 in link 131). Further excursion of the cam 118 moves the link 13% and thereby the inner slide 136 rightwardly. The outer slide is meanwhile still held by the detent key 138 in slot 166. The relative movement of the inner slide and its diagonal slot 154 to the outer slide earns the pin156 cross wise (forwardly), thereby moving the feed finger 104 (forwardly), to the disposition shown in FIG. 12D. The continued excursion of the cam 118 pushes the rocker arm 124 further outwardly (clockwise) together with link 1319 and the inner slide 236 (rightwardly). The inner slide shoulder 174 cams the detent away from the slide assembly and thereby the detent key 164 is extracted from outer slide slot 166. The inner slide projection 150 engages the end 194 of the outer slide and moves the outer slide leftwardly until the detent key 144 snaps into outer slide slot 168, and the assembly returns to the disposition of FIG. 12A.

It may be noted that the open slot 132, pin 134 and tension spring 144 assembly is provided to permit the link 1341 to continue its rightward movement in the event that the feed finger 104 becomes jammed (possibly by a jamming of the contact carry belt 92). The lost motion assembly of the slot 128 and pin is provided to ensure adequate time from time A to B for the indentors, which move inwardly to crimp the contact from time A to C, to firmly engage the contact before any movement of the feed finger 104. Similarly the lost motion assembly ensures adequate time from the C to"D for the indentors, which move outwardly from time C to A, to release the contact before any movement of the feed finger 104.

To permit manual advancing of the belt for loading purposes, a cam rod 196 is connected to a push rod 198 which is adapted, when the feed assembly is in the FIG. 12A position, to push on the end 200 of the inner slide, which moves relative to the outer slide, to retract the feed finger from the belt sprocket hole.

The Tie Strip Severing Assembly The main cam plate 18 also carries a pair of opposed cams 202, 204, to operate the tie strip severing assembly. These cams are radially aligned by means of splines 266, 203, respectively, which fit in keyways cut into the main cam plate and the cams. Accurate centrifugal adjustment is provided by set screws 210, 212, respectively, in the cams which canbe traversed against stop pins 214, 216, respectively, in the main cam plate. Cap screws 218 secure the cams to the main cam plate.

As may be seen in FIG. 7, a pair of yokes 221), 222 are secured to the guide plate 44, which pivotally carry a pair of rocker arms 224, 226, respectively. The lower end of each rocker carries a spherical bearing cam follower 228, (230, not shown) respectively, adapted to engage cams 264, (202, not shown) respectively. The upper end of each rocker is pivoted to links 232, 234, respectively, which are slidably disposed in bores 236, 238, respectively, through the guide plate 44. The link 234 carries a belt back up pad 249, while the link 232 carries a tie strip severing blade 242.

From A to A+ the back up pad 240 is cammed out; While from time A to B+ the severing blade 242 is cammed out to sever the tie strip and release the contact from the belt 92.

The invention has thus been described but it is desired to be understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or usages shown and described. The same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore, the right is broadly claimed to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appendent claims, and by means of which objects of this invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to obtain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

1. A swaging tool for indenting a connector comprising; a central, oscillatory drive means rotatably oscillating about a central axis in a common plane normal to said central axis, and spaced from said drive means; a plurality of indentors, radially disposed about said central axis, each indentor angularly spaced from its neighbors by less than degrees; means connecting said drive means to said indentors; whereby said drive means is adapted to advance said indentor towards and away from said central axis; a contact carrier guided for movement along a path lying in said common plane and passing through said central axis; and means connected to said drive means to advance said carrier.

2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein said contact carrier is a belt having along the length thereof, a plurality of uniformly spaced apart recesses therein, each recess carrying a contact, and said belt has along the length thereof a plurality of feed holes having a spacing equal to that of said recesses; and said advance means includes a feed finger adapted to engage said feed holes, and having means to impart to said finger a rectangular motion during each complete cycle of reciprocation of said central, oscillatory drive means, and said belt further includes a tie strip having a portion thereof disposed over each recess, to secure the contacts therein, and joined to said belt between each recess; and means to severe one of said tie strip portions during each complete cycle of reciprocation of said central, oscillatory drive means.

3. -A tool according to claim 1 wherein said contact carrier is a belt having along the length thereof, a plurality of uniformly spaced apart recesses therein, each recess carrying a contact, and said belt has along the length thereof a plurality of feed holes having a spacing equal to that of said recesses; and said advance means includes a feed finger adapted to engage said feed holes, and having means to impart to said finger a rectangular motion during each complete cycle of reciprocation of said central, oscillatory drive means, andwherein said means to impart a rectangular motion to said feed finger includes a first and second slide disposed for relative, parallel, longitudinal, movement; means on said first slide guiding said feed finger for relative transverse movement; diagonal cam means on said second slide; a cam follower fixed to said feed finger and following said diagonal cam means, whereby relative parallel movement between said first and second slides causes said feed finger to undergo a movement transverse to said longitudinal slide movement; means connecting said central, oscillatory drive means to reciprocate said second slide; a

pair of spaced a part recesses in said first slide; detent means biased towards said first slide to engage one of said recesses, and prevent movement of said first slide; means on said second slide to disengage said detent; and means on said first and second slides to delimit the relative movement between said slides.

4. A swaging machine for compressing a workpiece at 7' l 8 a given plurality of points disposed around the periphery can'y means havingworkpieces' secured thereto. for of said workpiece, comprising; transporting said pieces along a path lyingin the a eent paldrive means rotat ab ly oscillating about a pl-ane of said indentors and passing through said central axis; a given pluralityof cent riiugally d-icentral axis.

rect ed indentor foree applying means disposed about 5 the, periphqy of said drive means; a given plurality References Med 1n the file of thls patent central axis; means to retract said indentors and of centripetally directed indentors adially disposed UNITED STATES PATENTS about said central axis, each movable along a radius 1,880,112 Shmyrofi at m Sept 27 1932 and spaced from-its neighbor by less than 180 de- 476,723 Gomberg July, 1949 r w; ssi l ra t force direction reversing 10 2,929,433 Andren Man 1960 m ansea huin nn d tw n ne f said in- 2 939,505 Bucher stab J /7 1969' demors and o of S force applying means 1 2,986,192 MacLeod 1 May 30, 1961 drive said indentors radially inward toward said- 3 004 581 Krol 6t 064817 1961 

1. A SWAGING TOOL FOR INDENTING A CONNECTOR COMPRISING; A CENTRAL, OSCILLATORY DRIVE MEANS ROTATABLY OSCILLATING ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS IN A COMMON PLANE NORMAL TO SAID CENTRAL AXIS, AND SPACED FROM SAID DRIVE MEANS; A PLURALITY OF INDENTORS, RADIALLY DISPOSED ABOUT SAID CENTRAL AXIS, EACH INDENTOR ANGULARLY SPACED FROM ITS NEIGHBORS BY LESS THAN 180 DEGREES; MEANS CONNECTING SAID DRIVE MEANS TO SAID INDENTORS; WHEREBY SAID DRIVE MEANS IS ADAPTED TO ADVANCE SAID INDENTOR TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM SAID CENTRAL AXIS; A CONTACT CARRIER GUIDED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A PATH LYING IN SAID COMMON PLANE AND PASSING THROUGH SAID CENTRAL AXIS; AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MEANS TO ADVANCE SAID CARRIER. 